On family at Christmas
January 4, 2013Happy New Year and best wishes on Day 3 of your resolutions!I share a few thoughts, somewhat random, related to being together at Christmas.Of all times of the year, this season is the...
View ArticleOn attending an IB Conference in L.A.
January 29, 2013I headed out west over Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend to attend an International Baccalaureate (IB) Conference. The three-day event was held at the Los Angeles Airport Marriott. Stuck...
View ArticleOn making admissions decisions
February 28, 2013We mailed out admissions decisions to almost 750 anxious eighth graders this morning. Our goal is to have 310 ninth graders in the Class of 2017. You can do the Math. Some will have...
View ArticleOn the election of Pope Francis
March 15, 2013For just the second time in the lifetime of our students, we have a new Pope, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, now His Holiness, Pope Francis.Our new Pope was an under the radar candidate,...
View ArticleOn morning tea
April 10, 2013I'm more than 26 years removed from my days in the New Zealand classroom. During my visit to the homeland over the Easter break I was reminded just how easy it is to find strange the...
View ArticleOn the 2003 Distinguished Alumnus of the Year, Tom Johnson '76
May 2, 2013 Last Thursday we honored Tom Johnson, Class of 1976, with the 2003 Distinguished Alumnus Award.In his acceptance speech, Tom shared with the students how he came to be at Our Lady of Good...
View ArticleOn "Mary, make us see"
May 28, 2013This blog posting is an adaptation of my address at the Graduation Mass for the Class of 2013, delivered at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on May 23,...
View ArticleOn watching a 3-D printer
August 1, 2013My dad was in the import-export business. Over many years, he sent tons and tons of New Zealand products to Japan – kiwifruit, live eels, boysenberries, beef, milk powder, sheepskins....
View ArticleOn TRUST – Part I
September 5, 2013The following is an edited version of remarks I made to the student body at the Opening Mass of the 2013-2014 school year. At the end of Mass all students, faculty and staff received...
View ArticleOn trust – Part II
September 20, 2013The following is an adaptation of remarks originally prepared for the Opening of School Mass. When we were running long, these remarks were cut from my address to the students.I...
View ArticleOn clutter
October 22, 2013There's something especially satisfying about leaving the office late on a Friday afternoon with the desk clear and the Inbox empty, at least for a while. Despite ongoing resolutions to...
View ArticleOn three thinkers about change
November 6, 2013This posting is an adaptation of a speech made at the National Honor Society Induction Ceremony on November 5, 2013For me, these last three or four days have been a time for processing...
View ArticleOn some of the activity you never hear about
November 20, 2013This posting is a laundry list of activity taking place in various clubs around campus. It captures the energy, curiosity, and talent that our students bring to school life outside of...
View ArticleOn enduring personal relationships
December 6, 2013Last night, I attended for the third year in a row, the annual Christmas get-together held by the Class of '76.It's far from an elaborate affair – meatballs, chicken wings, pizza, and...
View ArticleOn gossip
January 8, 2014There's a lot of buzz for the Holy Father these days. It seems hardly a day goes by without a photo or article popping up on my Facebook account featuring some new way the Pope has...
View ArticleOn students presenting to the Board
February 4, 2014Over the last year or so, we have been paying a lot of attention to improving the process of our board meetings – getting through the more routine aspects efficiently so that there is...
View ArticleOn a full week of school
March 3, 2014The haggard look. The gasping for air. The shuffling walk. It's not just the cold that has worn down our students, faculty and staff. Last Friday we completed our first five-day,...
View ArticleOn prodigious talent
March 25, 2014When discussing the novel The Great Gatsby with students, one line that always seemed to make an impact was Fitzgerald's description of Tom Buchanan: "one of those men who reach such an...
View ArticleOn three Baltimore Orioles
May 9, 2014I spent the first five days of May on the road, visiting with alumni in four cities in Texas. I got home in the wee hours of May 6th and was in something of a fog just a few hours later...
View ArticleOn taking good counsel
May 27, 2014The following is excerpted from my address at Commencement on May 22, 2014Class of 2014, if I have any advice for you, it’s take some advice. Through all the rest of your life, may you be...
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